Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Dean Kamen, Master of the Segway

Dean Kamen is no stranger to innovation.

Kamen poses in his signature denim.

Kamen, a sixty-three year old East Coast native, crafted his
first invention while in college. The dialysis pump he created made it more
comfortable for patients to receive dialysis in their homes. Today, Kamen holds
more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents, many for medical devices. He was
awarded the National Medal of Tenchology in 2000 by President Clinton and
hosted a Planet Green television show called Dean of Invention. He usually wears denim head-to-toe.

Arguably, Kamen’s biggest invention to date is the Segway Personal
Transporter. The Segway is a two-wheeled, battery-powered, self-balancing
electric vehicle. It can travel at up to 12.5 miles and moves people without
requiring them to sit down. Today, you might see packs of them cruising through
Millennium Park or at any tourist destination in a number of countries. This
wasn’t Kamen’s vision, though, and isn’t the only use for the alternative
transportation tools.

In a 2002 TED Talk, Kamen discusses his creative process in
inventing the Segway. According to Kamen, the idea was not to just create
technology, but instead to use technology to find a solution to a problem. He
explained that in 2002, more than 50% of the global population lives in cities and
that urban populations are, in fact, very well connected. The problem? Cities
are very dense and many transportation solutions lead to polluted, cloudy air. Car,
bus, and train transport all have negative environmental aspects – and the
polluted air can lead to health issues. Additionally, vehicle traffic takes up
valuable space in packed urban areas. According to Kamen, 65% of any given
city’s land mass is composed of parked cars. Kamen wanted to create a safe
system of transportation that put minimal stress on the human body. The result?
The Segway.

Photo courtesy of groupon.com

The invention of the Segway was not without obstacles.
According to the law in many cities, Segways had to be used only on the street,
as they were considered ‘recreational vehicles.’ Kamen refused to accept this.
First, he approached the U.S. Postmaster General, who agreed to allow mailmen
to use Segways. Next, he approached police chiefs in assorted cities. They
allowed their officers to test Segways, too. Both groups – the postal service
and police forces – felt that the Segway was a useful tool. Additionally, Kamen
found that both young people and older citizens were receptive to the idea, as
people that couldn’t use a skateboard, a bike, or rollerblades, or someone
unable to drive but still needing to travel and carry things could use a
Segway.

Kamen’s creativity comes from asking the right questions. As
Malcolm Gladwell explains, creativity is figuring out that there is a problem
in the first place. For example, Gladwell figured out that the problem with
developing just one type of Coca-Cola or spaghetti sauce is that the same thing
won’t appeal to everyone. Kamen took a similar approach. He found a problem –
urban transportation that harms the environment and is not practical for the
future – and worked to figure out an accessible solution.

Though Segways might not be seen regularly on the streets of
Chicago today, who knows that the future could bring? With Kamen’s creative
determination, we might be on the brink of a transportation revolution.

Interested in learning more about Kamen’s creative process?
Watch ‘To Invent is To Give’ (2002) at right:

1 comment:

It is a dream of mine to drive a Segway. I'm not even joking. That being said, I also feel that they are just begging for the human race to become like the people in Walle. (Side note that I always hear he died on a Segway but never confirmed this to be true.)